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M61 Vulcan
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In June 1946, the General Electric Company was awarded the contract for "Project Vulcan". In 1956 the T171 20mm gun was standardized by the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force as the M61 20mm Vulcan aircraft gun.
The M61 20mm Vulcan is an externally powered, six-barrel, rotary-fire gun having a rate of fire of up to 7200 rounds per minute. The firing rate is selectable at 4,000 or 6,000 rounds per minute. The gun fires standard electrically primed 20mm ammunition.
Each of the gun's six barrels fires only once during each revolution of the barrel cluster. The six rotating barrels contribute to long weapon life by minimizing barrel erosion and heat generation. The gun's rate of fire, essentially 100 rounds per second, gives the pilot a shot density that will enable a "kill" when fired in one-second bursts.
The M61 20mm cannon is a proven gun, having been the US military's close-in weapon of choice dating back to the 1950s. The F-104, F-105, later models of the F-106, F-111, F-4, B-47, B-52, B-58, all used the M61, as does the Air Force's F-15 , F-16 and F-22, and the Navy's F-14 and F/A-18. The primary use of the cannon is in the extremely short range (less than 2000 feet) air-to-air environment, where more sophisticated air-to-air missiles are ineffective. Alternately, the cannon has limited usefulness in a ground strafing role.
While originally manufactured by General Electric, it is no longer produced by them; GE Armament Systems was sold to Martin Marietta; after their merger with Lockheed, it was produced by Lockheed Martin Armament Systems, which was bought by General Dynamics in 1997.
The M61 Vulcan Cannons used in the film industry have been converted to percussion primer cases using a sub caliber cartridge adapter.
Specifications
M61 Vulcan
- General Electric M61 Vulcan Cannon.
- Caliber: 20mm
- Length: 73.80 inches
- Barrel Length:
- Weight:
- :Gun: 248 pounds
- Muzzle Velocity: 3380 feet per second
- Cyclic rate of fire: 4,000-6,000 rounds per minute
Used In
Film
- Chin-mounted on a Colombian Army gunship helicopter in XXX
- Mounted on the 'Armadillo' vehicles in Armageddon
- Mounted on a 2004 Dodge RAM 4WD driven by Tyrese Gibson in Death Race
- Seen in a weapons shed in Lone Wolf McQuade
- On a Phalanx CIWS Platform in Under Siege
Videogames
- Seen on a Phalanx CIWS Platform on the Kestrel Carrier before it gets sunk in Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
- Vulcan Raven's personal weapon in Metal Gear Solid
- Mounted on fictional North Korean IFV's in Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
General Dynamics M197 Vulcan
This is a three barreled version of the M61 Vulcan and most commonly seen mounted in the chin turret of the AH-1 Cobra series of attack helicopters.
Specifications
- General Dynamics M197 Gatling Cannon.
- Caliber: 20mm
- Length: 73.80 inches
- Barrel Length:
- Weight: 146.3 pounds
- Muzzle Velocity: 3380 feet per second
- Cyclic rate of fire: 750 to 1,500 rounds per minute
Used in
Film
- mounted on the AH-1 Cobras in the film Con Air
Anime
Video Games
- Crysis (mounted on Korean helicopters and U.S. VTOLS)
General Dynamics / Raytheon Phalanx Close-In Weapon System
This is a powered mounting used mostly by naval vessels to engage incoming missiles, aircraft, and sea-based close-range targets. It features a distinctive white-painted cylindrical weapon control group with a domed radome at the top which results in the nickname "R2-D2" being applied to the mounting; the cylinder houses the system's tracking radar, while the dome houses the search radar. More recently a land-based version called Counter-Rocket, Artillery, Mortar [C-RAM] has been developed, and is used to protect point bases against rocket attacks. Rather than using the tungsten armour-piercing discarding sabot rounds of the naval version, the land-based version uses High-Explosive Incendiary Tracer, Self-Destruct [HEIT-SD] ammunition, which was originally designed for the M163 VADS self-propelled anti-air system.
Used in
- Most depictions of modern warships [placeholder; to be expanded to a proper list]
Video Games
- Crysis (on aircraft carriers, ships, military bases, and floating platforms in single player and multiplayer)
- Resident Evil 4 mounted on a Ganados held ship.
- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Shown on the USS Missouri, being fired at incoming missiles in Act 5, as Outer Haven counterattacks.